Adjustable eraser device



C. A. WATROUS ADJUSTABLE ERASER DEVICE April 23, "1935.,

Filed July 28, 1953 jive/far i i "1,1m, IIII il) lmlmlmmemmwmm El mi 724/765 4. Wei/m5 y ,47% giga.

p Patented 'Apr-.22232, 1935 -rrs 1,998,472 ADJUSTABLE, simsen nevica Charles A. Watrous, Des Moines, Iowa Application July 28, 1933, Serial. No. 682,605 i claims. (ci. 12o-ser Pencils with adjustable and replaceable leads are now in common use, but are customarily provided with erasers whichare not adjustable and are relatively short and exposed beyond the end of 5 the pencil and soon become soiled, to suchextent as to render them ineficient for pencil erasing purposes, and they are necessarily relatively short f and soon become worn out.

' e objects 'of my invention are to provide an L eraser attachment for pencils of simple, durable and inexpensive construction, and in which al A further object is to provide a pencil of this vcharacter in which the screw for'longitudinally adjusting the eraser is projected through a central opening in the eraser, so that the eraser and screw occupy the same space within the pencil, and whereby when the4 eraser is projected beyond the end of the pencil, the screw will assist in bracing and stiiening-the eraser.

A further object is to provide improved `means for detachably and replaceably connecting an eraser with the adjusting nut co-operating with :0 the adjusting screw, and whereby theparts may be firmly and detachably held together and at the same time freely rotated for advancing or retractingthe eraser.

My invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combination of the various parts of the device, whereby the objects contemplated are attained, as'hereinafter more fully set fort pointed out in -my claims, and'illustrated in th accompanying drawing, in which:

of a partof a pencil having-my improved eraser Aconnected therewith, taken onrthe line I-I of Figure 5.

Figure 2 shows an enlarged detail view of the.

Figure 1 shows a vertical, central sectional View.

thescrew supporting block and the detachable screw threaded collar vadjacent thereto.

' Figure 7 shows a detail longitudinal sectional ,view of a modified form "of eraser socket connected to theadjusting nut; and

Figure 8 shows an isometric view of the adjusting nut and sleeve..

Referring to the accompanying drawing, I have used the reference numeral I0 to indicate the pencil portion of the deviceand -Il a tubular body rotatively` connected with the pencil portion. 'I'his tubular body has the usual holder I2 fixed to it. Fixed to one endof the body II is a screw supporting block I3 projected above the body-II and-having fixed-therein a. screw I4. 'I'he upper portion of the screw supporting block I3 is reduced in diameter and a ring I5 is rotativelyA mounted thereon and detachably held in place by a; screw threaded collar I6.

The reference numeral I1 indicates generally the eraser holder which is fitted down over the screw supporting block I3 and which is xed by solder or otherwise to the-ring I5. This eraser holder is open at its upper end.

Mounted upon the adjusting screw I4 is the adjusting nut I8 having a screw threaded opening throughwhich the adjusting screw is projected. This nut has a sleeve I9 fixed to it and projected above it andhaving its upper end inturned slightly at 2U. l

'Ihe eraser is `indcated generally by the reference numeral 2| and is of alength substan.

tially as great1 as that of the adjusting screw, and is preferably on two opposite sides provided withat faces, and has a longitudinal central opening 22 extending through it from one end? tothe other. Fixedto its lower endlis a sleeve 23, having a depression vnear itsentral portion, as clearly shown at 24 in Figure 2. v -This eraser and its sleeve are inserted in the holder with the screw projecting through the opening '22 and `thefsleeve '23 is forced down into the sleeve I9 until the inturned'edges 20 thereof enter the notches 24 inthe sleeve s3, thereby securely holding the eraser against movement away from the adjusting nut, and yet permitting its removal for replacement purposes. C

In themodied form shown in Figure 7 I have shown the sleeve 25 connected to the nut' I8, and having inwardly4 extended projections 26 to enter the eraser`2l and detachably but firmly holding the eraser to the nut I8.

In practical'use I have demonstrated that when the eraser is' inits Withdrawn position, as shown in Figure 1, it will be protected against being Vsoiled by handling and use, because it is withdrawn within the pencil casing. When it is desired to use the eraser, the operator holds the eraser holder in one hand and the pencil body I I inthe other hand and rotates one relative to the other, to thereby project the eraser beyond the end of the eraser holder in substantially the same manner as the leads are projected with the customary adjustable lead pencils.

When the eraser has been projected the desired distance beyond the eraser holder, I have found that the rigid screw I4 within the interior of the eraser serves to substantially brace andsupport the eraser, and hence a very flexible eraser may be employed.

time the kind of erasers that are now customarily used, and which are placed in a sleeve connected with the lead pencil or other holder, are necessarily made relatively stiff in order that they may be mechanically held within the sleeve when subjected to heavy pressures whenused for erasing purposes, because if the eraser were made relatively soft and flexible, it would, when subjected to such use, be drawn out of the tubular holder. It is also well known in the art that for maxilmum efliciency for erasing purposes, it is desirable that the eraser be made much softer and more flexible than the ones now in common use.

I have demonstrated in practice with my improvement that I have successfully employed a relatively soft flexible eraser and entirely obviate the objection of having the eraser accidentally withdrawn from its supporting sleeve when heavy pressures are used upon it for erasing purposes. In practice with my improvement, and with a relatively soft eraser, the reinforcing member extended longitudinally through an opening in the eraser performs the function of preventing tilting movements of the base ofthe eraser within the socket and causes the portions of the eraser adjacent to the reinforcing member to bind upon the reinforcing member when subjected to such tilting movements, thereby preventing the withdrawal of the eraser from its socket when subjected to heavy pressures when used for erasing purposes.

An additional advantage attained by my improved structure is that on account of the use of a relatively soft eraser with a central opening, a new eraser may be readily, quickly and easily inserted in the holder by simply compressing the end of the eraser and forcing it into the holder past the lugs 26, as shown in Figure 7, and then after the reinforcing member is placed in the tubular-opening of the eraser, this end of the eraser will be firmly held in its socket.

When the eraser has been worn down to a point I near the sleeve at its lower end, then the'sleeve' and nutI may be withdrawn and a new eraser substituted..

By having the adjusting screw contained within the eraser a considerable saving inthe total length of the combined pencil and eraser is eected, and by having the adjusting screw located wholly Within the eraser, the customary round form of the eraser holder and pencil may be maintained without any increase in the diameter,

yet permitting the use of an eraser of relativelyv large diameter. 1

I claiml as my invention:

1. In a device of the class described, the combination of a body, a screw fixed therein, a tubular eraser holder rotatably connected with the body, It is well known in the art that at the present an eraser within the holder freely movable longitudinally thereof and having an opening through which said screw is extended, a nut connected to the eraser and having said screw extended through it, and means for preventing rotary movement of the eraser when the said body is rotated relative to the eraser holder.

2. In a device of the class described, the combination of a pencil body, a screw support fixed to the body, a screw centrally fixed to the support, an eraser ho1der,.a nut fixed to the eraser holder, a ring fixed Ato the eraser holder and rotatably connected to the screw support, ascrew threaded collar for detachably holding said ring in place, a nutl through which said screw is extended, said nut being freely movable longitudinally within the eraser holder, means for preventing thenut from rotating relative to the holder, and an eraser detachably fixed to the nut and formed with a central opening through which said-screw is projected, for the purposes stated.

3. The combination of a tubular body, an eraser mounted within the body for longitudinal move- 1ment therein, said eraser beingformed with a longitudinal opening, a guiding and binding rod vsupported within said casing extended through and loosely fitted within the opening in the eraser to a point adjacent the outer end of the body portion, and means for moving the eraser longitudinally within the body portion to project one end thereof beyond the body portion and beyond said rod.. Y

4. An improved article of manufacture, an eraser body portion formed of erasing material land having a longitudinal opening shaped to slidingly receive a guiding and binding rod, the exterior of the eraser body being formed with a relatively fiat'side" to co-operate with a hollow handle body having a corresponding relatively flat surface on its interior to prevent rotation of the eraser within a handle body portionduring longitudinal movement of theA eraser within a handle body.

CHARLES A. WA'I'ROUS. 

